The race was long considered the premier two-year-old race of the Brisbane Winter Carnival.
It has been renamed several times since its inaugural running as The Claret Stakes.
In 1999 the race name was renamed after legendary trainer T.J. Smith. In 2013 the race was once again renamed to honour Queensland trainer Jim Atkins who won every major staying race in the Brisbane area except a QTC Oaks - a race in which he had seven minor placegetters. He won the Brisbane premiership four times.[3]